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Our Children’s Trust is seeking a Senior Litigation Paralegal to join our Legal team.     The Senior Litigation Paralegal is a salary, non-exempt position, and a member of the OCTWA Bargaining Union. The annual salary range is $71,022 - $81,919 and is benefit eligible. Benefits include 100% employer paid medical and dental for employee, long and short-term disability, life insurance, SIMPLE IRA plan with employer match, generous vacation, sick and holiday leave including restorative leave after 6 years.     This position may be remote, hybrid, or in-office in Eugene, Oregon.  Work is primarily performed Monday through Friday; however, evening and weekend hours may be necessary dependent upon deadlines and workload.    An ideal candidate will have: a high level of dependability, being able to respond quickly to litigation needs including short deadlines, high pressure situations, and evening and weekend needs; a demonstrated commitment to legal excellence; have multijurisdictional experience in the fields of constitutional, human rights, environmental, and/or civil rights litigation; experience working with youth and families; high proficiency with Westlaw, Microsoft 365, docket management, timekeeping, client management, document management software, and Blue Book;  and high level of self-management and agency.    

About Us:    Our Children’s Trust (OCT) was founded in 2010 on the idea that courts are vital to democracy and empowered to protect our children and the planet. Without a stable climate system, every natural resource we rely upon to exercise our basic human rights—life, liberty, home, happiness—is under threat. Our work will be achieved when there is universal recognition of children’s climate rights by courts around the world and children’s fundamental rights to life on this planet are protected. www.ourchildrenstrust.org.     Position Summary:    Reporting to the Deputy Director of Litigation Practice, the Senior Litigation Paralegal will assist Senior and Staff Attorneys by reviewing, preparing, and filing court papers in jurisdictions across the United States; researching and summarizing court rules; managing electronic discovery; providing clerical and basic research support services, including document preparation and review; research and fact-checking; trial preparation; and plaintiff support. This position will also provide scheduling and meeting support for the legal team.    Key Responsibilities:  

• For assigned jurisdictions, oversee all case files, organizing them in the appropriate document databases; track court rules and deadlines.  
• Manage electronic discovery, including processing incoming and outgoing document production, as well as discovery requests, deposition notices, and subpoenas. 
• Gather, review, and summarize documents for litigation and case development purposes. 
• Perform basic legal research, including cite checking, on Westlaw. 
• Prepare discovery, pleadings, and caselaw binders to prepare attorneys for meetings, hearings, and trial. 
• Prepare, edit, and cite-check both legal and scientific sources, format and create tables, and file pleadings and other documents through court filing systems 
• Ensure arrangements for depositions, court reporters and service agents, and ordering of transcripts in a timely manner. 
• Assist with client management to support new client outreach; professional monitoring, collection, documentation, and management of client circumstances and related evidence; and to apprise clients of status in cases, in coordination with counsel of record. 
• Support legal assistant in arranging case-related travel and logistics for plaintiffs and provide plaintiff support for travel needs including expense and reimbursement requests. 
• Conduct annual outreach and calculation of pro bono support to OCT. 
• Prepare agendas for, and record minutes of, legal meetings and keep task lists updated as requested by attorneys and/or Deputy Director of Litigation Practice. 
• Support the legal team with excellent knowledge of all facets of Microsoft 365, including SharePoint and other case management software 
• Support other projects, such as PowerPoint presentations, as needed. 

   Minimum Required Education and Experience  

• A Paralegal Certificate plus 6 years of experience as a litigation paralegal.  
• -OR- Associate’s degree plus 5 years of experience of experience as a litigation paralegal.  
• -OR- Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of experience as a litigation paralegal 
• -OR- equivalent combination of education, skill, and experience 

   Expectation for All Employees  

• Exceptional writing, organizational, and communication skills. 
• Demonstrated commitment to excellence.  
• Identify and solve problems with sound judgment and effective solutions. 
• Work independently, jointly, and under pressure. 
• Respectful, approachable and team-oriented, building strong working relationships and contributing to a positive work environment. 
• Takes personal responsibility for job performance; receptive to feedback, willing to learn, and embraces continuous improvement. 
• Professional participation, presentation and conduct during in-person and virtual events.  

   Application Instructions   Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they have every one of the qualifications as described in the job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our qualifications described. If you are unsure of whether you meet the qualifications of this position, or how this would be determined, please feel free to contact us to discuss your application.     Visit our Jobs and Internship page at https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/jobs-internships , and follow prompts to submit:   

• Resume.   
• One-page cover letter that addresses your interest in OCT’s mission.    
• A list of three professional references and their contact information.  

  Additionally, a skills assessment will be part of the hiring process for this position.    Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background clearance.    Working Conditions/Work Schedule:   Work is primarily performed in a standard office setting. Work is primarily performed Monday through Friday during regular business hours.    Physical Working Requirements:   The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to the extent possible and appropriate in the event of ADA qualifying disability. 

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. 
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 20 pounds. 

  EEO Statement   At Our Children’s Trust, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Our Children’s Trust believes that diversity and inclusion is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people.